This was a pleasant read. This book offered a somewhat different insight into education. This book was a collection of essays by individuals who have made an impact on either the author or society. It give me a sort of "giving them their flowers while they can appreciate them" vibe. It was quite cool to discover the author's angels of education.

Thank you Netgalley for this advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the Camp of Angels of Freedom is a beautiful collection of essays and art work by Arlene Goldbard. In this new release Goldbard asks the question: What does it mean to be educated? She then provides us with three unique ways to consider her inquiry. Goldbard asks us to consider the influences on our own intellectual life, people she calls our "angels" in a metaphorical sense, and to think about the ways these angels have informed our own perspectives on life and it's many layers.

In the second section of this book she offers readers an in depth background of the lives of the people who have influenced her and describes her own journey of encountering that person's work. Each angel she feels connected to is someone whose teachings she internalized and as a result deeply impacted the outcomes of her own story, values, and decisions she's made on her life path. Within this section she also provides a critical analysis of her own self-education and deconstructs the idea of education as an undertaking in our present day society.

Why are we so obsessed with credentialism? How do we heal and prevent the harm credentialism causes? Are academic qualifications really the best measure of ability? There are so many brilliant minds with much to offer the world in terms of human potential, skill, and knowledge who are overlooked and devalued due to not being traditionally educated in institutions.

My favorite section was the third in which she imagines a conversation with between the angels of her internal world where she offers them the same inquiry: What does it mean to be educated? This discourse proved to provide with the most food for thought of all. As readers we are encouraged to connect the dots between past and present and to understand that the many ills of our society have not changed much at all, we as humans have simply adapted, adjusted, resisted or learned to create art and meaning out of the pain and suffering.

I really deeply appreciated the commentary on the importance of decolonizing our minds and the reasons why so many people cling to their own programming instead of questioning the power dynamics that keep oppressive structures in place to begin with.

A very thought provoking and deeply philosophical read that will have me considering my own thoughts on this subject for a long while.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!